446 COMMEMORATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss
1 His words echoed through our childhoods: “I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you!
Thank you, Sam-I-Am!” His characters played in our imaginations: Horton the elephant, Yertle the
turtle, the Cat in the Hat, the Lorax. And his books connected us to a whimsical world of color and
creativity. He is the great doctor, whom you know as Seuss.
2 At the time of his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss had published 44 children’s books. Perhaps
more than any other author, he captured our child-like wonder and inspired the imagination of
4 Eventually, Geisel would bring the same cadence and spirit to his books. The Lorax—my
personal favorite—was so controversial because of its negative portrayal of the logging industry
that some towns tried to ban it. But Geisel knew he needed to make a statement for the environ-
ment:
“I repeat,” cried the Lorax,
6 Determination was also central in the creation of The Cat in the Hat. Geisel’s publisher
challenged him to create a story that would introduce young readers to more than 200 new vocabu-
lary words. Geisel met the challenge, and he put the words together in the story of a boy, a girl, a
fish, a cat, a hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2:
We looked!
Then we saw him step in on the mat! We looked!
And we saw him!
The Cat in the Hat!
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DR. SEUSS 447
7 Ultimately, what stands out most about Geisel is his creative genius. With pleasing rhyme
schemes, memorable characters, and instantly recognizable art, he created not just brilliant books
but new realities.
9 From Seuss’s activist spirit, focused determination, and creative genius came the words,
characters, and books that shaped our youth. No less important, it was Seuss who gave us a sense
of optimism and possibility when facing the world. As he told us in Oh, the Places You’ll Go:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
448 COMMEMORATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss
Commentary
“The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss” is an imaginative speech that celebrates the life and work of Theodor
Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. The speaker’s creative language, thoughtful structure, and use of
Seuss’s own words results in a memorable and fun commemorative speech. A video of the speech is
available online and on the DVD of student speeches. Below is a brief synopsis.
Introduction: The introduction consists of paragraphs 1–2. Paragraph 1 creates an immediate bond with
the audience by mentioning “our childhoods” along with well–known words and characters from
Dr. Seuss. The opening paragraph—like the rest of the speech—is also noteworthy for its use of
the resources of language discussed in Chapter 11. Notice the rhythm created by the quotation
from Seuss, the alliteration of “whimsical world of color and creativity,” and the striking syntax of
the paragraph’s final sentence. In paragraph 2, the speaker states the significance of his topic
and reinforces his bond with the audience by noting that Seuss “captured our childlike wonder.”
He then clearly identifies his central idea and previews the body.
Body: The body runs from paragraph 3 through paragraph 8. It revolves around three main points—
Geisel’s activist spirit (paragraphs 3–4), his focused determination (paragraphs 5–6), and his
creative genius (paragraphs 7–8). Were this an informative speech, the speaker might have cho-
The first main point ends with a brief quotation from The Lorax, the second with words from
The Cat and the Hat, and the third with a passage from Yertle the Turtle. In addition to conjuring
up the audience’s memories of Dr. Seuss, the structural repetition at the end of each main point
helps unify the entire body of the speech. The quotations also enhance the speech’s rhythm and
imagery—as does the speaker’s own language, including his use of parallelism, repetition, and al-
literation. Throughout the speech, structure and language work in concert to provide an element
of rhetorical artistry appropriate for a commemorative speech.
Conclusion: The conclusion consists of the final paragraph. After reminding the audience of the main
points, the speaker closes by noting that Dr. Seuss “gave us a sense of optimism and possibility
______________________________